Edna Adan's Journey: Building A Hospital

Dr. Edna Adan Ismail is a nurse-midwife, women's health advocate, and former Somaliland foreign minister. She is the founder of the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital, a non-profit charity hospital in Hargeisa, Somaliland. The hospital was built to address the health crisis resulting from the destruction of the Somali Civil War, which left the region with the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world. To fund the hospital, Adan donated her U.N. pension and other personal assets. She also received support from organisations like Direct Relief, which has provided $6 million worth of medical aid since 2008. Today, the hospital works in partnership with Edna Adan University to train the next generation of nurses and midwives.

Edna Adan donated her UN pension and personal assets

In 2008, Edna Adan donated her U.N. pension and personal assets to fund the construction of a hospital in Somaliland, a region of Somalia that had been ravaged by years of war. Adan, a trained nurse and midwife, founded the Edna Adan Maternity Hospital to address the health crisis in her homeland, which had the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world. The hospital, located in Adan's hometown of Hargeisa, provides health care to people traumatized by war and trains nurses, midwives, and other health workers. It also offers diagnostic laboratory facilities, an emergency blood bank, and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.

Adan's decision to donate her pension and assets was inspired by her father, Adan Ismail, who was the country's most senior Somali medical professional. As a child, Adan shadowed her father in his poorly equipped hospital, and a desire to build him a better facility took root. She also wanted to address the issue of female genital mutilation (FGM), which is endemic in the region and which she herself had undergone as a child.

The Edna Adan Hospital has made significant progress in reducing maternal mortality in Somaliland. It has trained over 800 health care workers and aims to train thousands more. The hospital has also expanded its services to include care for men and brings in physicians and surgeons from the U.S. Adan's dedication to improving maternal and child health and advocating for gender equality has inspired positive change and empowered women across Africa.

Edna Adan's personal sacrifice in funding the hospital with her pension and assets has had a lasting impact on healthcare and society in Somaliland. Her story is one of resilience, vision, and an unwavering commitment to uplifting her people and addressing the grave health crisis in her homeland.

She received land from the government

Edna Adan Ismail, a nurse-midwife, founded the Edna Adan University Hospital in Hargeisa, Somaliland. She received land from the government to build her hospital. After returning to Somaliland from studying in England, Adan asked the government for land near the city centre to build her hospital. The government responded by offering her 9,600 square meters of land that had previously served as a garbage dump.

Adan donated her U.N. pension and other personal assets to fund the hospital's construction. She wanted to address the grave health crisis in Somaliland, which had the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world. The hospital is a non-profit charity hospital and nursing school that provides healthcare to people traumatized by war and trains nurses, midwives, and other healthcare workers.

The hospital has diagnostic laboratory facilities and an emergency blood bank, and it offers diagnosis and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. It works in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF, and WHO to train a new generation of nurses and midwives to provide reproductive healthcare throughout Somaliland. The hospital's mission is to combat the practice of female circumcision, which is endemic to the region. Mothers of newborn girls are counselled on the dangers of having their children circumcised, as the tradition is strongly ingrained in the culture.

Edna Adan Hospital has significantly reduced maternal mortality in the region. It provides health services and education to the next generation of midwives, and it has trained hundreds of healthcare workers, aiming to train thousands more. The hospital also offers limited family planning services, most frequently implantable contraceptives for women.

The hospital is a non-profit charity

Edna Adan Maternity Hospital is located in Hargeisa, Somaliland, and provides healthcare to people whose lives have been traumatized by war. The hospital also trains nurses, midwives, and other healthcare workers. In addition, the hospital has diagnostic laboratory facilities and an emergency blood bank, and offers diagnosis and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.

The hospital works in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF, and WHO to train a new generation of nurses and midwives to provide reproductive healthcare throughout Somaliland. The hospital's mission is also to combat the practice of female circumcision, which is endemic to the region. Mothers of newborn girls are counselled on the dangers of having their child circumcised.

Edna Adan's work has significantly reduced maternal mortality in the region. She has also trained over 800 graduates from various courses, touching the lives of thousands of people. Her dedication has inspired positive change and empowerment, making a lasting impact on healthcare and society in Somaliland.

It provides healthcare to people traumatised by war

The Edna Adan Hospital is a non-profit charity hospital in Hargeisa, Somaliland, founded by the autonomous region's former foreign minister and former first lady of Somalia, Edna Adan Ismail. The hospital provides healthcare to people traumatised by war and trains nurses, midwives, and other healthcare workers.

Somaliland has been devastated by years of war, which has resulted in a lack of healthcare infrastructure and personnel. Edna Adan Hospital was established to address the health needs of the community, particularly women, in the aftermath of the conflict. The hospital offers a range of services, including maternal and infant healthcare, diagnostic laboratory facilities, an emergency blood bank, and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. It also works to combat the practice of female circumcision, which is prevalent in the region.

Edna Adan Ismail's personal experiences of war and her dedication to helping those affected by it are evident in her work. She has chased soldiers with automatic rifles out of her operating room, been imprisoned under a military dictatorship, and evacuated the wounded from war zones. Her commitment to her community and her country drives her to continue her work, even in the face of ongoing violence and adversity.

The hospital's mission is to provide accessible healthcare to those in need and to address the high rates of infant and maternal mortality in Somaliland. The hospital also offers family planning services, including implantable contraceptives for women. As the hospital's reputation has grown, it has expanded its services to treat men and collaborate with physicians and surgeons from the United States.

Edna Adan Hospital has made a significant impact on the healthcare landscape in Somaliland. Through its training programs, the hospital is empowering a new generation of healthcare workers and improving access to quality healthcare for people traumatised by war. The hospital's work is a testament to Edna Adan Ismail's vision and dedication to uplifting her community.

It trains nurses, midwives and other health workers

The Edna Adan Hospital, founded by Dr. Edna Adan Ismail, is a non-profit charity hospital in Hargeisa, Somaliland. The hospital was built to address the health crisis that resulted from the destruction of the Somali Civil War. The war had effectively destroyed the entire health infrastructure of Somaliland, leaving the region with few trained medical personnel. Consequently, Somaliland had some of the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world.

Edna Adan Ismail, Somaliland's first midwife, donated her U.N. pension and other personal assets to build the hospital. The hospital provides healthcare to people whose lives have been traumatized by war, and crucially, it trains nurses, midwives, and other health workers. The hospital works in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF, and WHO to train a new generation of nurses and midwives to provide reproductive healthcare throughout Somaliland.

Edna Adan University, which is associated with the hospital, has trained hundreds of healthcare workers and aims to train thousands more. The university and hospital have significantly reduced maternal mortality in the region by providing health services and education to the next generation of midwives. Edna Adan Hospital has also trained 800 graduates from various courses, touching the lives of thousands of people.

The hospital's mission is to train 1000 midwives across the country, and it is working towards this goal with the support of donations and organisations like Direct Relief, which has provided $6 million worth of medical aid. Edna Adan Hospital is making a significant impact on the healthcare landscape in Somaliland by addressing the shortage of trained medical personnel and improving maternal and child health.

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